A New Day
by needysaurusrex
Summary: While driving back to Atlanta after being released from prison after ten years, Merle Dixon finds a woman waiting for a bus. Despite his gut instinct, he stops the car and offers Carol Peletier a ride, just to find out she's headed to the same place he is. MAROL AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Now, I know the title is really fuckin' cheesy but it was the best thing I could think of, and it's a recurring theme in the story. I know I typically write Carol/Daryl, but I've recently fallen in love with Merle/Carol. If you've been reading my other fics, _Spotlight on the Lake, Of Marauders and Honor, Roxanne _(which has now been finished) and _A Melody, A Memory or Just One_ _Picture_ they have all been updated as of right now.A one shot related to _A Melody, A Memory or Just One Picture _called _Stay For A While (which is also Merle/Carol)._**

**I'm on tumblr too, peletierscarol (which will auto-direct you to my custom url). Please feel free to follow me and talk to me there. One can never have too many friends. **

**Anyway, I hope ya'll give this one a chance. Trust me, the ship of Merle/Carol is a beaut.**

* * *

Merle Dixon had been driving for days when he saw the woman sitting at a bus stop bench. There was a simple bag sitting on her lap over a jacket and her face, soft and gentle, had a shiner around one of her eyes and a cut lip. Maybe that's what caused him to pull over. He knew the marks on her face all too well. He looked over at the woman as he rolled down the window in his rented car, taking the moment to watch her. She had brown hair that looked freshly cut, like she was trying to run away from someone. Merle almost drove away but undid his seat belt and he leaned over towards the window. "Hey!" He called out to her.

The woman looked up at him and clenched her bag in her hands and he snorted. "Look, I ain't gonna hurt you. Bus might not run for a while... If ya want I can... Give ya a ride to a certain point." The woman looked around before she stood to her feet and held her bag and jacket in her hand. "Where ya goin'?"

"Atlanta. It's where I was born and I'm... Trying to get away. What about you?"

"Headed to Atlanta myself. Really, I ain't gonna hurt ya, not like whoever gave ya that shiner." She reached up and touched the side of her face, looking ashamed at someone mentioning it. "Ya ain't gotta take my offer but it'd be better than sittin' around waitin' for the bus, won't it?" Merle reached over and opened up the door for her. "I'm Merle. Dixon."

She pursed her lips before she grasped the door handle and opened the door, shoving her jacket and bag onto the floor of the seat and climbed into the car. She shut the door and pulled her seat belt on. "Carol... Pel..." She stopped for a second and she looked like she was considering what her last name was. "Peletier." Merle didn't question her hesitating on her name.

"Well, Carol, probably should have mentioned before you got in my car that I recently got out of jail." He gave her the chance to get out of the car before he pulled his seat belt back on. When she didn't move from the seat, her pulled the car into drive and started to drive down the road.

"Well, Merle, should have mentioned before I got in the car that I'm running from my abusive husband and there is a very big chance he'll come after me when he realizes I'm gone." Carol said. Merle's fingers tightened around his steering wheel as she mentioned her abusive husband and he was tempted to stop the car, tell her to tell him where he was and go beat his ass for abusing his wife. Considering that he _just _got out of jail after ten years, that might not be the best idea.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Well, ya ain't gotta worry about that. We'll be out of town before he even notices yer gone." He said. Carol looked over at Merle and she couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Thank you." She said as a clap of thunder caused her to jump in her seat. Merle looked over at her and grunted in response. She turned her head to look out the window, watching as the rain started to fall. Carol leaned her head against the window and shut her eyes, feeling a strange amount of peace in the mans car.

* * *

Carol woke up when the car stopped and she turned her head to look at him. They were sitting in a motel parking lot and Merle wasn't in the car anymore. She sat up and looked out the window just in time to see Merle walking back over to the car. A sigh of relief left her mouth as he leaned over into the cars window, looking at her. "Mornin'." He said, flashing her a grin. She weakly chuckled at him and ran a hand over her short hair. She still couldn't believe that she had cut it all off. She missed her curls, but knew it would make her a little harder for her to be recognized by Ed or anyone that knew him. "We're in Blakley now, just sort of three hours from Atlanta. But I've been driving for fuckin' days and I need some sleep." Carol nodded and she reached down to pick up her bag, taking it in her hands and climbed out of the car.

When she was out of the car, Merle locked up the car and lead her towards a motel room. She held her bag tightly to her body, keeping her eyes on the ground. Merle unlocked the door and let Carol in the room before he shut it and locked it up. "Asked the guy to send over some food in a while. Just two burgers and fries, hope thats okay." Carol looked up at him and a smile formed on her face, her hand coming up and touching her bottom lip when she did.

"I haven't had a burger in... years." Carol said. Merle frowned and clenched his fists before he nodded and walked over to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face in hopes to keep himself awake for just a little bit longer. At least until after he got to eat. He might be tired but he was even more hungry. He glanced over at Carol after he wiped his face off and he picked up one of the rags.

"Be right back." He mumbled before he unlocked the motels door and walked down the hallway to the ice machine. He pressed his hand against the button and it dispensed a handful of ice. He wrapped it up in the rag and went back to the motel room, shutting it and locking it back up. He figured it would make Carol feel safer to have it locked, she did mention that her husband would probably come back for her. Merle moved and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, bringing the rag up to her face and pressing it gently against her lip. "Alternate that between that shiner and yer lip. Best we can do for now."

Carol looked up at him with wide eyes and reached up to take the makeshift icepack from him. Merle looked away from her when her hand brushed over his and he stood off the bed, moving to lie down on the other one, keeping his head against the headboard. "Thanks." Carol mumbled as she sat on the bed. Merle grunted at her and looked at the wall. He didn't have a lot of money on him so he hadn't bothered on getting one of the rooms with televisions. As the room grew awkwardly silent, Merle began to regret not paying the extra fifty bucks for a television.

"Hey." He said, lying his head back on the pillow. Carol turned her head to look at him, pulling the rag off of her. "I'm just gonna shut my eyes for a few minutes, wake me up when the food gets here." Merle said. Carol nodded in understanding before she brought the rag back up to her face. Merle frowned for a second at her before he rolled over onto his side and shut his eyes. He was out before he could even think about the woman across the room.

Carol held the makeshift icepack against her eye, hissing when the coldness touched her eye. Even though she was far away from their home in Jesup, she was terrified that Ed would be able to find her. Ed was a lazy drunk, but he wasn't a stupid man. He'd figure it out when he got home that Carol had left him, even though she left most of her things there. She'd thought she was going to be traveling on a bus, so she didn't bring a lot with her. In her bag was four pairs of pants, four t-shirts and four pairs of underwear and four bras. Whenever she got to Atlanta, she'd use what money she had to get a hotel room while she looked for a job. She grew up in Atlanta, hopefully someone that knew her would be willing to take pity on her and give her a job, even the smallest job. Then hopefully she'd be able to get her own place, file for divorce and get her named changed and be able to move on with her life.

Once upon a time, her relationship with Ed wasn't bad. They met in college and he was a prince then. He treated her well, bought her presents and took her on dates. It wasn't until they got married that Ed had become controlling and abusive. He forced her to drop out of college so she could stay at home and cook and clean for him. That was never the life that Carol had wanted, but it was the life that she had. She'd been too scared to leave Ed before, it took something horrific to make her leave him. She didn't want to think about it. Thinking about it made it real.

Ed was away on a hunting trip with some of his friends from work and she took the chance to leave him. She was on the first bus out of town, which caused her to end up in Valdosta, where Merle found her at a bus stop. She turned to look at the sleeping man on the bed just a few feet over. She didn't know what it was about the man that made her trust him, her instincts had told her to get out of there but something about Merle had told her to trust him, to get in his car. Maybe she just knew that it was about to rain.

His former jail stay didn't bother her, at least not like it probably should. It probably wasn't something too bad, if he was a bad person he wouldn't have stopped to pick up a battered housewife. Or maybe he would, maybe he planned on killing her and leaving her on the side of the road. The idea unnerved Carol, but anything was better than staying with Ed another day.

Carol jumped when there was a knock on the door and she waited for a second, glancing at Merle before she stood from the bed. She set down the icepack and walked over to the door, checking the peephole. Outside was a man holding a platter with what she assumed was dinner. Carol licked her lips and moved back to her bag to fish out a five for a tip, it was the least she could do. She returned to the door and unlocked it, letting the man in to bring the plates in. She averted his eyes as she gave him the tip, years of living with an abusive husband made it almost impossible for Carol to hold eye contact. She mumbled a thank you to the man and shut the door behind him, locking the door behind him.

She squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a long breath. The whole time he was in the room, she had expected him to say Ed had a message for her and shoot her. She didn't know why, but she had. She had expected Ed to already know and have people after her. It was irrational, but it was what Carol expected. Carol tried to control her breathing, tried to control the panic attack she felt on the horizons. She felt trapped in that spot, her fingers weakly grasping the wall as much as she could.

Merle's eyes opened when he heard heavy breathing and dry sobs and for a second he thought he was nineteen again and home with his brother. He sat up when he noticed Carol leaning against the door and clearly having a panic attack. "Shit." Merle mumbled, remembering all of the panic attacks his little brother had had when he was a kid. He climbed off the bed and walked over to Carol, grasping the side of her face gently. "Carol? Carol, it's okay. Breathe. Deep breaths." His voice was softer than he'd been using to talk to her, the same voice he'd use when he was trying to calm down his brother. Merle was nervous about putting his hands on Carol, but he did it anyway. He knew how bad a panic attack could get, he remembered the late night hospital visits. "Yer okay, take a deep breath."

Carol looked up at Merle and followed each of his instructions without question, he seemed to know what he was doing. Before she had realized it, she was sitting on the bed and she felt ten times better. She was still breathing heavily but she wasn't freaking out anymore. Merle handed her a soda can and she looked up, not having realized he had left. She opened it up and slowly took a drink from it. She hadn't had soda in years either. "Thank you." She mumbled, looking down at it as she heard Merle move around the room. He set a plate on the bed next to her and moved to sit down on the bed across from her with his own. "Sorry." She mumbled, now ashamed of herself.

Merle looked up at the woman as he pulled the lid off the plate and picked up a fry. "For what?" When she looked up at him with wide eyes, he shrugged her off. "Ain't nothin'."

"Ed always just screamed at me when I had them. He never cared that screaming at me made it worse." _So that's what the mother fuckers name is. _Merle thought to himself as he chewed the fry in his mouth.

"I ain't him." He said and Carol looked away from him, towards the plate in front of her. She picked at it for a minute before she lifted it up and brought it up to her mouth. "My little brother used to have panic attacks when he was.. When he was a kid. My parents had no idea how to deal with it so it was up to me to figure it out." Carol almost asked where his brother was but something told her not to. She took a bite of the burger and chewed, swallowing before she took another large bite of it. Merle watched her for a moment and he wondered how much her husband had even allowed her to eat. She was almost as skinny as the bars on his cell. "Hungry?" He asked, almost amused.

"I didn't realize I was so hungry." Carol couldn't help but laugh at herself, she must have looked like an animal the way she was eating. She set down the burger on the plate and picked up the can of soda. "He never let me eat like this anyway." Merle clenched his fists again, he'd love a minute alone with her husband.

"What's yer plan when ya get to Atlanta?" He asked after finishing his own burger. Carol looked over at him and shrugged.

"Get a job, get a place to stay. File for divorce, change my name... Start over." She said, a slight smile forming on her face. "I don't know if it's too late to start over but... I've gotta try." Carol looked up at him. "What about you?"

"Startin' over sounds fuckin' good to me." Merle said between fries. He must have been as hungry as she was. Carol is curious about Merle, about the man that picked her up from what seemed like out of the kindness of his own heart, about the man that was able to stop her panic attack expertly. But she didn't want to push him or anything. It wasn't like they were friends, he was just giving her a ride.

They finished their dinner in silence and Merle cleaned up, grunting at Carol to sit down. She was used to having to clean up dinner, was surprised when Merle took care of it. She finished off the soda she had been drinking, leaning against the bed frame. She fell silent again, not having felt as safe with anyone as she felt safe with him. When she glanced over at Merle again, she noticed he was looking at her. As soon as she noticed, Merle looked away from her, ducking his head.

"Check out is at noon. Figure we get on the road before that. Be able to make good time if we leave early." Carol nodded in agreement with Merle and she moved to lie down on the top of the blanket. She didn't want to get too comfortable, and she wearing jeans. There was no way she'd be able to sleep comfortably in them. Why hadn't she thought to pack at least one pair of pants to sleep in?

"Goodnight, then, Merle." She said softly as she rolled over onto her side as Merle shut the light off. It was a few moments before he spoke again.

"Hey..."

"Yeah?" She asked, turning her head over to look at him. Her eyes hadn't adjusted to the dark yet, but she knew exactly where he would be.

Merle looked at her form and took a moment before he spoke. "If ya start havin' another panic attack, just... Remember the steps we went through... And don't worry about waking me up." Carol fell quiet and Merle worried that she had fallen asleep.

Carol nodded before she spoke. "Okay.."

Merle watched her for a few minutes until he was sure that she was falling asleep before he rolled over onto his side and bunched one of the pillows under the head to support his head.

Tomorrow would hopefully be a new day for Merle Dixon. He couldn't help but hope it was going to be a new day for Carol Peletier too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the reviews I've gotten for this. Considering it's strictly Merle/Carol (with a much nicer Merle (which is surprisingly harder to write than I thought)) I've been nervous about it. (Granted, I'm always nervous about posting my things, even if it's been received well so far.) If you follow me on tumblr (peletierscarol), you might know some of this story from a thing I posted last week. However if you don't want to be spoiled for Merle's crime and what pushed Carol to leave Ed, I wouldn't go looking for it. **

**As I've mentioned before, I don't own The Walking Dead. If I did, Merle would still be alive and he, Carol and Daryl would be living in a cottage away from all the bullshit that's been going on. Thanks for taking the time out to read and review!**

* * *

_"Come here you fucking bitch!" _Carol sat up straight in the hotel bed, panting and gasping for breath. When she first opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was and that on top of the nightmare she'd had caused a hundred different thoughts to run through her mind. She had thought Ed had taken her away so that he could kill her and dump her body somewhere so she'd never be found. Carol leaned over and reached the lamp on the end table and turned her head, the sight of the man in a leather jacket on the other bed instantly calming her.

She ran a hand over her short hair and remembered the events. She'd left Ed, a man named Merle had picked her up in Valdosta and they were now in Blakely. Merle was nice to her, brought her food and a hotel room, helped her with the bruise on her face, helped her with her panic attack. Carol took a few deep breaths before she glanced at the watch around her wrist, looking at the time. It was just after nine in the morning, but there was no way she was going to be able to go back to bed.

In her old life, she would be awake already. She would have been out of bed by four in the morning, actually. She would be showered, her bruises covered up on her face. And by five in the morning, she would have Ed's clothes lied out for him, have the kitchen cleaned up and have his breakfast made. That was her life then. Carol almost didn't know what to do with herself without having that routine. Hell, she could do anything she wanted now. The idea of that excited and scared her.

Carol climbed out of the bed and picked up her bag from the corner of the bed, glancing back at Merle again before she went into the bathroom. She shut the door and locked it out of habit, setting her bag on the floor before she started to undress.

Carol Peletier was a beautiful woman, even with her bruises and cuts on her face. When her hair was longer, it framed her face almost perfectly. Maybe someday she could have that hair again. She'd always been a slim woman, but now she was incredibly skinny. While married to Ed, she had been on a strict diet that had been enforced by her husband. She wasn't allowed to eat anything that was fattening. A whole new world was opened up for her and she felt like she was in high school again just about to go to college and the world was new. Carol smiled as she turned around to face the shower, turning the water on and letting it warm up before she stepped under the water.

A soft moan escaped from her lips at the feel of the hot water hitting her sore skin and she bent her head back to enjoy the feeling of the water on her. She hadn't realized how sore she really was. Carol used the shampoo the motel provided to wash what was left of her hair. She didn't miss having to wash all of her long hair, she would admit that. Carol washed her body and stayed under the shower for a while before she turned the water off and climbed out of the shower.

Carol dried herself off and dressed into another one of the outfits she'd brought with her, shoving the dirty clothes into her bag. She glanced up at herself in the mirror and decided that she needed to get some make-up so she could cover up the bruise on her face. She was traveling with Merle, she didn't want people to think that Merle had caused it. Even if it was just another three hours back to Atlanta, she figured if she asked nicely, he'd stop off at a CVS so she could pick some up. He seemed a reasonable man, even if he had just gotten out of prison.

* * *

Merle was surprised to find Carol gone when he first woke up, but as he woke up and his senses opened up he could hear the shower running in the bathroom. He figured she must have woken up and decided that she needed a shower. He sat up and glanced over at the clock on the end table; it was just past ten in the morning. He cleared his throat and tossed his feet over the edge of the bed, planting his shoes on the floor. He looked up towards the door, really needing to take a piss. He didn't know how long she'd been in there and he didn't want to rush her, but damn his bladder was screaming at him. Merle stared at the door like he was trying to Jedi mind trick Carol.

He heard the water shut off and he sighed, figuring he only had a few more minutes until Carol would exit the bathroom and he could use the bathroom. It was maybe a few more minutes before she exited the bathroom, jumping when she noticed he'd been staring at the door. She opened her mouth to say something but Merle stood to his feet and walked over to the bathroom door and shut it. He'd shut it a bit harder than he meant to and he regretted it, figuring it had to scare her.

Merle flushed when he finished and turned back to the sink to wash his hands before he left the bathroom. Carol was sitting on her bed, staring down at the floor. She looked like a lost dog like she'd done something wrong. Merle cursed under his breath before he spoke. "I didn't mean ta shut the door so hard, didn't mean ta scare ya." Carol turned her head to look at him and the look of relief on her face made Merle angry. Who the hell had Carol married?

"Could have said something if you need to use the bathroom. Wouldn't have taken so long if I'd known." She mumbled, wrapping an hand around the back of her neck.

Merle waved her off. "Nah, I hate that shit. Fuckin' rude." Carol almost started laughing at Merle but she figured that laughing at him wasn't the best way to get him to do something for her. She chewed on the good side of her lip before she spoke.

"I need to go to CVS." She said as Merle sat back down on the bed. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow to ask why. She rolled her eyes and pointed to the large bruise on her face. "Do you want people to think you did this if they see us together?"

The woman had a point. "Alright. Just.. Let me take a shower, alright? Then we'll check out and head to the store. And don't ya say thank you again. Say it too damn much." Merle said as he climbed off the bed, grabbed his duffle from the floor and walked towards the bathroom.

"Sorry." She mumbled, looking down at her feet again.

Jesus, her husband had done a lot of work on this woman. "Stop sayin' that too. Ya ain't got nothin' to be sorry for. And don't say sorry for sayin' sorry or I'm leavin' ya ass here." He threatened. It was an empty threat and he was sure Carol knew it by the look of amusement on her face. He turned back around to walk into the bathroom, glancing at his reflection in the mirror before he went to shut the door. Carol opened her mouth to say sorry but shut it, a soft giggle replacing it.

Merle didn't miss the laugh that left her lips and it stopped him dead in his tracks. Her laugh was musical and Merle suddenly made it his mission to get to hear it as much as he could before they reached Atlanta and parted ways.

* * *

Merle returned from the bathroom and discovered Carol lying on the bed flat with the Bible on her chest, flipping through the pages. He hadn't figured her to be a religious person. He set the bag down on the ground then and considered speaking, but she looked peaceful so he decided to head out of the motel room and check them out. He'd get them breakfast, but when he checked in the day before the manager was so 'kind' to tell him he only cooked up burgers – it was the only thing he could make. If she was hungry, they could stop by a fast food joint or something and get breakfast.

When he returned to the motel room, it seemed that Carol hadn't even noticed he had left. She still had her head buried in the Bible, though if he had to guess on the emotion on her face, she looked bored. Merle picked up her bag and dropped it on top of the bed, startling her. She jumped and dropped the Bible, looking up at Merle like she expected him to be her husband. _Fuck, Merle, stop scarin' the woman. _He thought to himself as he watched her expression change from scared to relieved. Merle mumbled an apology as she picked up the Bible and put it back in the drawer.

"Did you check us out?" Merle opened his mouth to tell that he'd checked her out but caught himself.

"Yeah." He said as he watched her stand to her feet and pick up the bag that was in her hand. "Lets get out of here, maybe we can be in Atlanta before the sun sets." Carol looked at him and for a second he thought she was going to speak but she didn't. Merle picked up his own bag and led her out of the motel room, walking towards the car. He unlocked it and waited for Carol to climb into the car before he climbed in himself.

Carol glanced at Merle, having been tempted to tell him there really was no _rush _to get to Atlanta. She didn't have a place to stay when they'd get there and the longer it took her to get there, maybe Ed would realize that's where she was going. If he showed up there and she wasn't there, maybe he'd just leave. She stayed silent, though, figuring that Merle wouldn't want to hear her say something like that. He must have really wanted to get to Atlanta.

Merle pulled out of the motel's parking lot and started to drive down the street. It was silent between the two of them for a while before Merle spoke. "Didn't peg you for a religious woman." He said. He noticed Carol look at him from the corner of his eye where he'd been looking at her and he added. "You were reading the Bible."

"Oh." Carol said and she shrugged her frail shoulders. "I'm not but.. It was something to read."

"Read a lot in prison. Not much you can do there." She looked over at him and once again wanted to ask why he had been in prison but kept her mouth shut.

"When I was in school, I read all the time. I loved doing it. There was something about getting transported to a whole other world that was just... Great. Then I got married and..."

"Fucker didn't even let ya read?" Carol looked out the window and sighed before she spoke.

She sounded like a child when she spoke. "No... I must sound like a stupid woman for staying with someone like that."

Merle snorted. "Nah, you sound like a woman who got trapped by an asshole and was too scared to leave him until you were at the end of yer ropes." He said. Carol sounded like lot his mother, but he wouldn't tell her that. At least she got up and left him, didn't do it like his Ma. His mother had killed herself to get away from her husband and left her two young sons to deal with the monster on their own. "Ya sound like a warrior." Tears filled Carol's eyes as he called her a warrior and she turned way to look out the window in hopes to keep the tears at bay. "Plenty of good libraries in Atlanta. Sure you'll be able to get back to reading." Carol smiled and turned to look at Merle.

"Be able to get back to a lot of things." She said softly and crossed her legs. "Like... Shopping for my clothes. Deciding what I get to wear. What I get to eat. Who I get to talk to." Merle's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. He wouldn't mind going back to jail for killing Ed Peletier. "I was going to be a teacher. I was going to do some good in the world."

"Ya still can. Yer life ain't over." Carol looked over at Merle and she sighed. She'd been talking so much about her and her issues, she completely forget that Merle was in the same boat she was, starting over.

"Your life isn't either." Merle looked over at her when he stopped the car at a red light.

"A criminal ain't exactly the kind of person you want working for ya."

It was Carol's turn to snort at him and he looked at her in surprise. "Let me ask you something.." Here it comes, she was going to ask him why he was in prison and he'd have to tell her. He could lie to her, but that didn't seem right. He nodded for her to go on. "Why did you pick me up?"

What? She didn't want to know why he was in jail? The hell? Merle cleared his throat as he started to drive again. "It was gonna rain, bus probably wasn't gonna run for a while. Looked like you were runnin' away from somethin'." _Ya looked like me, runnin' away._

"Because you're a good person, deep down." Carol said. Merle scoffed at her. He was not a good person. He spent too much time when he was a kid drinking and partying and not enough time protecting his little brother. Maybe if he hadn't spent so much time worrying about himself, his brother... "I don't know why you went to jail and I don't really care. Ed might have found me by now if it wasn't for you." Merle glanced at her and she noticed the vulnerability in his eyes, she wondered what he was thinking about.

He fell silent as he continued to drive, thinking about what she said. No, Merle Dixon was not a good person.

* * *

They drove for maybe an hour, making small talk between them. It was awkward at first, after the heavy conversation they'd had. He asked her about life before Ed, about college. Merle Dixon would never admit it to anyone, but he had wished he had done better in school, had been able to go to college. He knew what the world was like now, without a high school diploma work was going to be hard to find. She admitted that she had been a bit of a hellcat, had driven her parents crazy. While was she still good in school, she stayed out super late and partied. Her Daddy had walked in one more than one boy with his pants off in her room. Merle couldn't help the loud laughter that escaped his mouth at the mental image he had. It made Carol feel good knowing she had made him laugh, even though he was laughing at her expense. She had calmed down when she went to college, took it seriously until she met Ed.

He let her talk about Ed, even if it made him want to scream and turn the car around and go after Ed. Carol told Merle about how he had been a prince when they met. How he courted her, took her on dates and bought her gifts, made her feel like a princess. Then he wanted to get married and she had said yes. She didn't think he would turn on her one night and beat her half to death. But by then they were married and she didn't think she could leave him. The one time she tried, he held a knife to her neck and told her if she ever leaved, he'd kill her. That's why it took ten years for her to leave him. She had married him when she was 20 and finally had enough when she turned 30. She was only a year older than Merle, that surprised him. He had thought she was older. Living with an abusive husband really aged her. Merle didn't ask what made her decide to leave him and he didn't want to know. His jail time and her marriage was something neither of them touched.

"What about you? What was Merle like as a kid?" Merle glanced over at her and pursed his lips.

"I was... Yeah, kind of a hellcat too. Never respected my parents, not that they deserved it. Spent more time drinking and doing drugs than I did at home. Was brought home by the cops more times than I can count. No wonder my Daddy beat the hell outta me." He said before he even thought about what he was saying. God, that explained a lot. Why he had picked her up so willingly, why he had taken care of her. He was just like her, scarred and abused. She didn't bother apologizing for what his father had done to him, what was sorry going to do? Wasn't going to change what happened. Merle shrugged his shoulders and frowned when the car started to stutter, cursing loudly when the car came to a complete stop after he was able to pull it off to the side of the road. "Fuckin' worthless rental car." Merle growled. "Stay in the car." He said to Carol as he climbed out of the car and walked around to the hood.

Merle pulled the hood up, coughing and waving his hand as smoke flooded his face. He looked down at the engine, though he had no idea what he was going to do. Merle knew cars pretty well, but he didn't have tools on him. He cursed and slammed the hood down angrily, giving himself a few minutes to calm down before he walked over to the car and leaned into the window. "There's a pay phone right over there. Gonna use it ta call us a tow-truck. Wouldn't happen to know any mechanics, would ya?" He asked, though he figured it was pointless.

"My husband is a mechanic, but I don't think he'd be very helpful right now." She said, almost joking. A smirk formed on Merle's face for a second and he pointed at her before picking up a few of the coins in his ashtray and ran across the street. Carol waited for Merle to return, tapping her fingers along her leg. She was sure they were far enough away from Jesup that no one who knew her would see her, but she couldn't help the nerves she felt. Merle returned a few minutes later and climbed into the car.

"Gonna be a little bit, but got a tow truck coming for us. Gonna have to use the rest of my money to get the damn car fixed." Carol bit on the good side of her lip.

"I have some money. I mean, it's not a lot. I drained the rest of Ed's bank account before I left... Should be able to get the car fixed if we split the cost." Merle opened his mouth to tell her no, that it was his rented car, he'd pay for it. When he looked at her, he couldn't tell her no. Hell, he didn't think he could tell her no at all. She could ask for all of his money and the clothes on his back and if she looked at him with those big doe eyes, he'd probably give it to her.

"Alright." Merle mumbled, leaning back in the seat. Carol glanced over at him as he shut his eyes and leaned his head back, taking a deep breath.

"Where were you in prison?" She asked. Merle opened an eye and glanced at her. Well, at least she wasn't asking _why._

"Staton. Was livin' in Alabama it happened.. When I got arrested. Did my time there." Carol nodded, satisfied with his answer and leaned her head against the window. "We're in Dawson now. Might put us behind a few days to get to Atlanta." Merle bought his hands up behind his head and Carol licked her lips, considering her answer before she spoke.

"I'm not in a rush to Atlanta anymore." She admitted. Merle looked over at her and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm safe right now, with you. Not out in the open like I was."

_Safe? _Carol thought she was safe with him. She thought he was a good person. She probably thought he'd keep her safe too.

Merle couldn't keep anyone safe. He could barely keep himself safe. This woman thought she was _safe _and he was _good. _Merle Dixon was not a good person.

Merle Dixon was a murderer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! So I promised updates on my tumblr and so I'm delivering. A lof of fics probably won't be updated for a while because I'm just... I'm stuck. I'm stuck in everything and I don't know when I'll get out of this funk. Hopefully soon because I don't like being so stuck. However, if anyone would like to try to help me get out of my funk, that would be so appreciated. Anyway, everything as been updated. Thanks for checking all this out.**

**Once again, do not own The Walking Dead and do not own of the characters used unless you don't recognize them.**

* * *

Carol and Merle walked around the town for a little bit after the tow-truck dropped them off at a mechanics and they got a diagnosis. It was going to take half of their money to get the car repaired and it was going to take two days for them to get it repaired. It was definitely going to push them back for a few days, but Carol wouldn't admit that it made her slightly happy. She wanted to spend more time with Merle before they parted ways. When they got to Atlanta, she didn't know if she'd ever see him again.

After stopping by a drugstore for Carol to buy a thing of concealer and a thing of lipstick that was just a shade darker than the cut on her lip, she left Merle inside the store to stop in the bathroom to put concealer on the bruise and apply the lipstick. She looked a lot better than she did fifteen minutes ago, even if she still looked fairly plain. Carol shoved the make-up in her bag and left the bathroom, finding Merle at the magazines. He shoved the magazine he was reading on the shelf when he realized she was there and he looked taken back by the make-up on her face. The red lipstick sent shivers down his spine and his blood rushing to his dick. Very few things were sexier than red lipstick on a woman. Merle didn't have to say anything about how she looked, Carol could tell by the look on his face.

"Come on, lets go." Merle mumbled before he walked away from Carol. She couldn't help but smile, no one had looked at her like that in a long time. Carol followed Merle out of the drugstore and down the street, attempting to keep up with the much more in shape Merle Dixon. He glanced back at her briefly to make sure she was behind him, slowing his pace just enough so she could catch up. "Ya ever been here before?" He asked, looking around at the unfamiliar town.

"Nope. Other than Jesup and Atlanta, I haven't been many places." Carol said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Me either." He stopped on the sidewalk and started to look around at the town. From his place there, he could see a bar, two diners, a bowling alley and what looked like a sign for a carnival. "Ain't much here." Merle would have loved to go into the bar, but he knew he couldn't go in there, not when he had Carol with him. But damn was he aching for a glass of whiskey. He glanced over at her to see Carol standing in front of the sign for the carnival and he walked up behind her, reading the sign. Tomorrow was the last day for it and he could tell by the look on her damn face that she wanted to go. The last time he had gone to a carnival it was when he was 17 and took his brother to a carnival to cheer him up after their father broke his arm.

Merle looked down at her and tried to fight the painful memories of his little brother at the carnival before he spoke. "Ya wanna go, don't ya?" He asked. Carol jumped, having not realized that he was behind her. She turned around and looked up at him hopefully, the same way his brother did when he asked Merle if they could go.

"Kinda." She admitted, glancing back at the sign. Merle sniffed and shrugged his shoulders, hoping he wasn't about to regret this decision.

"Come on, lets go." He grunted and started to walk away from her. He didn't see the way Carol's face lit up or the grin that broke out on her face before she followed him, stopping next to him at the crosswalk. He looked down at her when he felt her presence next to him, looked down at the smile on her face. She looked ten years younger when she smiled. Merle wasn't used to being the _cause _of smiles. He was used to being the cause of bruises and tears, but not smiles. That was new for him. He had to admit, he kind of liked it.

When the crosswalk light turned green, Merle grasped her wrist and walked across the street at a brisk pace. Carol was surprised when he grabbed her but she followed behind him quickly anyway. He let go of her when they were across the street, his eyes glancing back at her to make sure he hadn't grabbed her too hard. She didn't seem affected by him touching her, that was a good sign. "Probably shoulda read the rest of the sign to figure out where we gotta go." Merle commented.

"Or just walk around until we find something. The town is small, I doubt a carnival could hide from us." Carol joked. Merle snorted at her joke and he walked past her down the street, glancing at the bar again. Carol could tell by the look on his face that he'd rather go into the bar for a drink than look for a carnival. Hell, they weren't children, going to a carnival seemed kind of stupid. "Why don't we get something to eat at the bar first?" She asked.

Was this bitch able to read his fuckin' mind? Merle looked down at her for a second before looking at the bar. "Ya sure?" He asked. Carol thought about it for a second, knowing a bar was not exactly the best place she should probably take someone who just got out of jail, or the best place for herself to be in but it seemed like a better idea.

"Yeah, lets just go there instead, huh? Could use a drink myself." The woman said. Merle gave a swift nod before he crossed the street, Carol trailing behind him. The bar was dimly lit and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. If she wasn't wearing shoes, Carol was sure she would have been stuck to the floor.

"Want a beer?" Merle asked, glancing down at her. She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, holding her bag tightly to herself. "Get us a table in the corner, huh?"

She nodded again. "Alright." Carol walked over towards the corner of the bar and ran her hand over the stool before she climbed up on it. From her spot in the corner of the bar, she could see everything. There were several dart boards on the wall, but she didn't see any darts within sight. Two pool tables were in the middle of the bar and there was a group of four men playing pool at one of them. One of the tables was filled with several older men, another filled with men probably her age. Carol was the only woman in the bar, she had noticed that. From the bar to the pool table to the table across the room, eyes were on her. It made her uneasy, especially considering she didn't have Merle next to her.

Merle returned a few minutes later with a beer in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other. He climbed up on the stool and slid the beer over to her, sipping on the whiskey. Carol noticed how easily the lid came off and she realized that Merle must have opened it for her. In the dim light, he couldn't see the smile that formed on her face but he did watch as she lifted the bottle and took a drink from it.

"Better?" Carol asked after she set the drink down, noticing Merle felt much more relaxed in the bar that he did at the idea of being at a carnival. She could tell by the look on his face when he agreed to go that he hadn't really wanted to. It was nice of him to offer, though. She wanted to make it known to him that she appreciated that, but didn't want to embarrass him. She'd already done that earlier when she called him a good man, she knew that. Merle nodded at Carol, glancing around the bar. An amused smirk formed on his face as he noticed the men lookin' at her and he noticed that she was the only woman in here.

"Yer the only piece o' tail in here." He commented to her.

Carol rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I noticed by the way they're looking at me like I'm a piece of meat." Merle looked back at her, the amused look on his face gone and a tight look on his face. If any of them tried to touch her, Merle was sure he'd be taken off to jail again for beating the hell out of them. The woman had gone through enough of that shit with her husband. In the day he'd known her, he could tell that much. Merle watched her take another drink of her beer, wondering if she liked it. Her poker face was frustrating and he wondered if she could play poker. She could probably take everyone in here for their money if she could. Maybe he could teach her while they were here, find a pack of cards at the store. Hell, they were gonna part ways in Atlanta, might as well get what he could out of her now.

"Come on." Merle said and stood to his feet. Carol looked up at him and frowned, her head tilting to the side. "Come on, we're gonna play darts, get a use out of this place."

"I don't even know how to play darts." Carol said, her fingers running over the label on the beer bottle.

"Ol' Merle will teach ya, come on." He said to her again. Carol climbed off the stool, pulled her bag over her shoulder, and followed Merle over to the line of dart boards, where he picked up the darts from the table in front of it. How had she not noticed them before? "What hand do ya write with?"

"Right." Carol said as Merle sorted out the two colors of darts and handed her the red ones. Merle went through the finer points of how to stand when you threw a dart, went through how to throw a dart and even the point system for darts. Most of it went over her head, but it was the most she'd heard Merle speak in a while. In the car, it had been her doing all the talking and Merle listening patiently.

When it was actually time for her to throw, she was terrified that she was going to end up hitting the wall. But when she threw the dart, it landed in a thin red line. "Hey! I did it!" Carol said excitedly, bouncing on her heel. She turned to look at Merle, who was grinning at her.

"Yeah, yeah, now learn how it's done, sweetheart." Merle said and took her place. Carol rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her mouth falling open when he hit the red circle of the bullseye on the first time. She pursed her lips until Merle turned to look at her with a confident smirk on his face that she couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.

"So not fair, you've been playing longer than I have."

"Lady, I played when I was 19, it's been ten years." Carol rolled her eyes at Merle and they switched placed, Carol landing the dart in a single point area but by her calculations, she was still ahead of Merle in points though she wasn't sure if they were actually playing for points.

During their rounds of darts, Carol and Merle had put away two beers and three glasses of whiskey between them before Merle told her he was going to take a piss. She made a face at how bluntly he said it, but moved to remove the darts from the board while he left her. He was barely gone for a minute before one of them who was playing pool approached her.

"Hey, why don't you drop that guy and come hang out with some real men." He said to her. Carol turned around and leaned against the table as far as she could, looking up at him.

"Really... Not interested." Carol said nervously, her eyes glancing back at the bathrooms where Merle was. She hoped he wouldn't take forever in the bathroom.

The man in front of her snorted. "Come on, baby. He left a piece of ass like ya alone in a bar full of hungry men, ain't like he cares that much." Carol opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a familiar gruff voice.

"We got a problem here?" Merle Dixon snarled at the man in front of Carol. She took the distraction to move out from behind the man and move towards Merle, cowering behind him. Merle glanced back at Carol when she was safely behind him, feeling her hand through his leather jacket.

"Just trying ta have a conversation with yer woman, man." Merle opened his mouth to tell him that she wasn't _his _woman but he figured that would just fuel the man in his attempts to get to her.

"Merle, lets just go, please." Carol begged, her hand grasping around his forearm.

"Ya better listen to yer woman, fella."

Merle took a step up to the man, making it very clear to him – and to Carol – that he wasn't going to back down to his guy, that he would defend her. No one else probably had before. "I see ya around my woman again, I'll bash yer fuckin' head in with my bare hands." He snarled.

Carol didn't know which part of what was going on to focus on – Merle calling her his woman, Merle telling the man he'd bash his brains in, or Merle defending her in the first place. "Merle, lets go." She said, tugging on his arm again. "Please." She pleaded with Merle. He broke eye contact with the man he'd been staring down and gave her a nod. Merle walked backwards, keeping his eyes on the man until they reached the bar and Merle reached into his pocket to toss a handful of bills at the bartender. Carol followed Merle out of the bar, staying completely silent until they were halfway down the street.

"Thank you." She said, stopping Merle in his tracks. "No one's ever.."

"Don't mention it." Merle grunted at her and Carol crossed her arms over her chest. She smiled weakly and turned her attention back to her feet. "Ya hungry?" She looked up at him and nodded.

She didn't realize it until he asked, but she was hungry again. Hell, she was starving. "Very." She said. Merle nodded at her and twitched his head towards one of the two diners that were in the small town.

"Figure we can get a room after this, get some rest. Been a long day."

"Very eventful." She added as she followed him towards one of the diners. They choose the one that seemed the less full of the two that was near the drugstore they'd been to earlier. Merle made a mental note about stopping in there and getting a deck of cards before they found the hotel and slept for the night.

A full figured waitress led them to their table and handed them both menus. Merle ordered a cup of black coffee and Carol ordered a water before she turned to the menu and began to glance through it. She wasn't used to getting to choose her own food, normally Ed would just order a plain salad for her while he ordered a big fat steak and taunted her with it. Merle looked up at her and noticed her eyes roaming the menu. "Order whatever ya want..." He felt the need to add. Carol looked up at him and her lips twitched slightly in a smile before she turned back to him. She'd probably just order the cheapest sandwich she could find, she knew they didn't have all the money in the world. She'd never be able to pay back Merle for all that he had done for her without even knowing her. Maybe once she had a job, she could. If she ever saw him again after getting to Atlanta.

When the waitress returned with their drinks, setting the water in front of Carol and the coffee in front of Merle. "Ya'll decide what you want?" She asked, looking down at the pair. The waitress eyed the make up on Carol's face and glanced over at the rough man across from her. Neither Carol or Merle realized that her make-up had been fading for a while, they had been too preoccupied with actually enjoying themselves.

"I will have the.. Chicken sandwich, extra pickles on that." Carol said as she folded up the menu and handed it to the attractive plump woman. "I'm gonna use the bathroom." Carol told Merle as she stood to her feet and walked towards the bathroom. She entered the womans bathroom and locked the door behind her, glancing at herself in the mirror. "Shit." She said as she realized that she could see her bruise through the make up and she dashed for the sink, pulling the concealer out of the bag. She washed off what of the make up was still on her face before applying a fresh coat of the concealer and the lipstick. Carol wondered how many people had seen it, had thought Merle had done that to her. She used the toilet and washed her hands before leaving the bathroom, sitting across from Merle again. He looked up at her for a second, noticing the new layer of make up.

_Aw, fuck. That explains the look that bitch was giving me while I ordered. _Merle thought as he took a drink of his coffee.

"What's in Atlanta for you?" Carol asked after a few minutes of silence. Merle looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I know what's in Atlanta for me, it's where I'm from. But you.. You were in Alabama when you got arrested, you never said anything about where you're from..."

"Ain't a point in talkin' about it." Merle grunted. Carol frowned at him but choose to drop it, life with Ed had caused her to know not to push someone when they didn't want to talk. She almost mumbled that she was sorry but remembered that earlier in the day he told her to stop saying sorry so much.

Merle inwardly cursed at the way she looked down at her hands and he could basically hear her saying she was sorry for talking and he opened his mouth to answer her question but he shut his mouth and returned to his coffee. _Jesus, Dixon, the fuck is wrong with ya? Don't need to be such an ass. _A voice that he could have sworn would have been his brothers voice spoke. _Ya ain't done nothin' wrong, boy. Bitch ain't got a right to ask so many damn questions. _A voice that Merle knew was his fathers argued. Without telling Carol where he was going, Merle stood to his feet and stomped off to the mens bathroom, leaving her alone again.

Carol let out the breath she had been holding, glancing around the diner for Merle. When she realized he'd left, she pursed her lips and picked up her water, drinking through the straw. Minutes after Merle left, the waitress returned with their plates.

"Your boyfriend run out on you, honey?" The woman asked. Carol looked up and a laugh left her lips.

"Um... Bathroom. And he's not my boyfriend." She said as the waitress placed one plate in front of Carol and the other where Merle was once.

"Husband, then?"

Carol frowned, her finger running over where her wedding ring was once. The ring was buried inside of her bag, waiting to be pawned back in Atlanta. "No. Just a... friend."

"So he didn't cause the bruises you're covering?" Carol's head snapped up at the woman and she frantically shook her head.

"No. Helping me run away from the man who did." She said softly. The woman looked surprised and mumbled a soft 'oh' before she turned around and left Carol alone. Slowly, she nibbled on the sandwich, worrying about Merle. She would go to the bathroom door and tell him his food is here, but he had already snapped at her once today she didn't know much further she could push him. Carol was maybe a third through her sandwich before Merle returned.

He didn't say anything as he sat across from her and picked up his own burger, biting into it. He was maybe halfway through his burger before he finally spoke. "My grandfather's house." He said.

Carol frowned and looked up at him as she set down her sandwich. "What?" She asked after swallowing.

"You asked what was in Atlanta. My Pappy's house. Left it to me after he died." She didn't know why he was telling her this, maybe he just felt bad for snapping at her. "Only good thing from my childhood left."

"Oh.." Carol said softly, glancing at her sandwich.

"Ya ever play poker?" Merle asked. She looked up at him and her face twisted in confusion.

"Strip poker in high school." She admitted. Merle dropped the fry that was in his hand after her admission, which caused her to giggle loudly. She covered her mouth and looked down at her plate before picking up a pickle that fell out of her sandwich. "Why? Asking to me play strip poker?"

Merle stuttered through his words. "N-No, not strip poker. Poker. Regular poker."

"Got cards?" She asked as she continued to eat her sandwich. She ate better knowing that Merle wasn't mad at her.

"Nah, figured we could get some before heading back to the hotel. Going out didn't seem to work well for us." Carol laughed softly and nodded.

"Sounds great." Carol said softly, glancing up at him. "Though, I did have fun playing darts."

"I had a great time kicking your ass at darts." Merle said with a grin. Carol picked up one of her pickles and tossed it at him, grinning when he glared at her. "Fine, give me your pickles. I happen to love pickles."

She smiled at him giving away something about herself, watching as he shoved the pickle in his mouth. "I used to can pickles with my Nana when I was a little girl. It was my favorite part of the summer." Carol reminisced.

"My Pappy used to take me an... Used to take me huntin' and campin' when I was a kid." Carol looked up at Merle, her brow furrowing her. Every time he mentioned his childhood, he had started to bring someone else up before dropping the other person. Merle had mentioned his little brother earlier when he was talking about panic attacks, but that was the last that he ever mentioned him. "Spent a lot of my childhood in the woods, was the best tracker in town."

Carol finished her sandwich while he was talking. "Think you'll still hunt when you get back to Atlanta?"

He shrugged. "Probably." Carol opened her mouth to tease him, tell him to bring her back a deer but she remembered that they were going to part ways when they returned to Atlanta. Maybe that would change in the next few days, he seemed to enjoy her company. Maybe, she didn't know. She didn't know how to read people anymore, not since Ed.

Merle noticed her fall quiet and noticed her deep in thought. He wondered what she was thinking about, but shrugged it off and continued to eat his burger and fries until he was done. "Ya ready to go?"

Carol was brought out her thinking when Merle spoke and she smiled, nodding as Merle climbed out of the booth to head up to the counter and pay for their meal. While he was gone, Carol reached into her bag and pulled out a ten dollar bill, leaving it for the waitress as a tip. She climbed out of the booth and followed Merle up to the counter, waiting behind him as he paid for their meal.

Merle turned around to find Carol standing behind him, jumping back. "Jesus, you're like a goddamn ninja mouse."

She giggled, though she felt bad for startling him. "Ninja mouse?" Carol asked as they left the diner and went back to the drugstore so Merle could get his deck of cards.

"Yeah, ninja mouse. Quiet like a ninja, mousey like... Well a mouse." He said as he walked. Carol crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips at the comparison. That was definitely an interesting analogy for herself, she'd never heard that one before.

"I don't look like a mouse, do I?" Merle looked down at her and raised an eyebrow as they crossed the street.

"Nah, ya don't look a thing like a mouse."

* * *

"It's a really good thing we are not playing for money." Carol grinned as she won the fourth hand in a row, pulling the pile of M&Ms towards her. Merle looked up at her and grunted as she picked up the cards and began to shuffle them up. They had been playing poker for the past hour and Merle had only won one hand out of six – and he was sure she let him win.

"Or for clothes." He commented, glancing up at her. Not that Merle wouldn't mind if they were playing for clothes, she was a very attractive woman and it had been over ten years since he'd gotten laid.

Carol started dealing out the cards between her and Merle on the large queen size bed in the motel room. There was only one bed, which Merle insisted she took for the night. She wanted to insist that they just share the bed, it was large enough for both of them but she knew it would have been a very bad idea. "Yeah, cause you'd be naked." She giggled as Merle looked up at her and made a face. She lifted the cards in her hand, licking her lips as she spread them out between her two hands. "Maybe we should have played Go Fish instead." Carol teased.

"Go fuckin' fish, I'm a grown ass man." Merle grumbled as he pushed over a handful of red m&ms. Carol picked up a handful of multi-colored M&Ms from her pile and pushed them into the pile.

"For a grown ass man, you sure can't play poker very well."

Merle narrowed his eyes at Carol, looking down at the cards in his hand. He held a 5, 6, 7 and a king and queen in his hands. If he got the right cards when he traded cards, he could win this game. "Yer enjoyin' this aren't ya?"

Carol looked up at him over her cards, biting down on the good side of her bottom lip. "Oh, so much." She admitted, another soft giggle leaving her lips. Merle's top lip twitched at her and she tried to control the grin on her face. "Last round and I'll stop taking your M&Ms and dignity from you." He snorted at Carol and replaced his two cards. Shit, he'd only replaced his cards with a 2 and a J, but they were all spades. He had a flush. He had a high chance of beating her now.

Carol watched as Merle's top lip twitched again, remembering from the last time that he won it meant he had a decent hand. She was holding three kings in her hand and she knew it was a good hand, knew that there was a chance what she said could beat him. She knew from her years with Ed that a man losing to a woman did things to a man, at least it did to Ed. He'd get angry with her if she didn't let him win whenever he let her play poker with his friends. There were few times that he'd beaten her just because he lost a card game. Now, Carol didn't think that Merle would ever hit her like Ed did, but she didn't want to bruise his ego more than she had. Carol took two of the kings in her hand and pushed them under the stack of cards and picked up two others. She had picked up a six and a two. "Call." Carol said, pursing her lips.

Merle eyed Carol for a moment and he looked up at her before he nodded at her. Carol set her cards down first and Merle smirked at the sight of her shit hand. "Flush." He said, resting his cards down.

"Damn." She said and pushed the M&Ms towards him.

"You let me win again, didn't you?" Merle asked as he picked up the rest of the cards, resting their hands on top of the deck. Carol rolled her eyes at Merle and picked up a handful of the left over M&Ms and leaned her head back to drop them in her mouth.

"Now why would I go and do a thing like that?" Carol asked as Merle pulled them together and slipped them back into the box. Merle eyed her before taking the M&Ms he won into his hand and tossing them back into his mouth. He climbed off the bed and walked towards the couch, plopping down on it. She pushed the rest of the hard candies into the bag they came in, resting them on the end table. She lied down on the bed, stifling a yawn. She rolled over onto her side as Merle opened up the pack of cards and looked at the bottom of the desk, at what had been the last two cards on the deck.

"You had two kings." Merle mumbled, looking over at her. Carol smiled and looked at the wall.

"I still wouldn't have beaten you." Carol said softly, craning her head around to look back at Merle. "Goodnight, Merle." She said softly and rolled back over onto her side.

Merle stared at her in disbelief as she faced the wall, a grin forming on his lips. "'Night, Carol." He said as he set the cards down on the table in front of the couch, resting his head on the arm of the couch and shutting his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Carol shut the motel's door after the staff member left, leaving a cart of breakfast for Merle and Carol. She walked over to the cart, lifting one of the lids up off the plates. It wasn't anything special, just a plate of eggs and bacon. She peaked under the other plate, seeing a plate of pancakes and sausage. She bit down on her bottom lip and picked up the plate of pancakes in her left hand before picking up the plate of eggs in her right. Carol walked over to the couch where Merle was sleeping and tilted her head.

"Merle." She said, nudging his arm with her knee. Merle grunted and Carol leaned the plate down so he could smell the food on the plate. He mumbled sleepily and Carol giggled softly.

It was Carol's giggle that brought Merle out of his slumber and he opened one eye to see a freshly dressed Carol Peletier standing above him, holding two plates in her hand. "Mornin'." Merle mumbled as he started to sit up. She took a step back to sit next to him once he sat up.

"Motel was nice enough to provide us breakfast." Carol said, glancing at Merle. "Maybe if we had told them we were on our honey moon, we would have gotten free dinner along with the breakfast." She joked. Merle grunted at her and she glanced at him, knowing he was tired. "Do you want eggs or pancakes?" She asked.

Merle looked over at Carol and glanced down at the plates in her hands. "What do you want?" Carol bit down on her bottom lip and glanced between the plates.

"Pancakes." She said and looked at Merle, who was eying the plates. "You want the pancakes too, don't you?" He gave a single nod and she made a face, sitting both plates on the table. "I have an idea." She said and stood t her feet. "Don't touch the food, Merle." Carol called over her shoulder as she rolled the cart to where they were sitting. She poured a cup of coffee for Merle and held it out to him. Merle mumbled a thank you and took it from her before she poured one for herself. She moved the syrup onto the table and set the forks down. She sat down on the ouch next to him, lifting up more lids and splitting up the two plates so that they each had pancakes and eggs. "I'll let you keep the bacon." She smiled.

Merle grunted in appreciation and took the plate from her, pouring syrup on the pancakes. She took the syrup on him and poured some on her own pancakes and on her eggs, picking up the plate and leaning back against the couch as she cut up her pancakes with the fork. "How did ya sleep?" Merle asked once he was halfway through his plate, looking back at her.

"Pretty well. Probably better than you did." She sat, leaning forward to pick up her cup of coffee. She took a slow drink from it and set the drink down, leaning back against the couch.

"Slept in a jail cell for ten years, this couch was damn comfy." Carol looked up at him and considered her question. She was going to ask what he was in jail for, but decided to go a different route.

"Was it worth it? Whatever you did to go to jail?" Merle stopped, reaching his hand up to rub his temple. It was too early for her to ask him something like this. He thought about it for a second, thought about whether or not it was worth it. "Sorry.. That was a dumb question." Carol mumbled and looked down at her plate. How could she be so stupid to ask him something like that?

"It was worth it." Merle said, glancing back at her. "I'd do it again if I had to go back and redo it." Carol glanced up at him and nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Ya ain't asked what I did to go to jail." Carol licked the maple syrup off of her lips and shrugged.

Carol sighed. "Not my business. If you wanted to tell me, you would."

"Maybe someday." He commented and turned back to his food. Carol watched his back, covered by nothing but a thin t-shirt. His muscles twitched under the shirt and she bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't deny that she was very attracted to Merle, he was an attractive man and he had been good to her in the last few days. She thought what he said; Maybe someday. Did he mean between now and the time they got to Atlanta or after they got Atlanta and getting to see each other again. She looked back to her plate, slowing stabbing pieces of the scrambled eggs.

When Merle finished his meal, he stood to his feet and grabbed the bag from the floor and went towards the bathroom. Carol let out a sigh and finished her plate, collecting the plates and empty coffee mugs, setting them down on the tray. She'd already showered and dressed this morning, out of bed before the sun had come up. She sat on the couch, reaching forward to pick up the deck of cards in her hands. Carol let out a soft giggle at the memory of beating Merle's ass at poker last night, pulling the cards out of the package and shuffling them up.

Carol dealt out cards for solitaire, playing until Merle came out of the bathroom. She looked up when she heard his footsteps, smiling briefly at him before she turned back to her cards. He sat next to her, looking at her game.

"Ya can put the four on that five here." Merle commented, glancing over at her. Carol smiled softly and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But um, I have always paired the diamonds with the spades and the hearts with the clubs."

"Really?"

"Mmhm."

"Why?" Merle asked, leaning back against the couch.

Carol shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Makes the game harder, looks nicer. My Daddy taught me how to play when I was a girl and he did it that way."

"The only thing my Daddy ever taught me how to do was take a punch." Merle grunted. Carol tensed for a second and shrugged her thin shoulders.

"My husband was nice enough to teach me how to do that." She could have sworn Merle growled at her response and she turned back to her cards, flipping through the ones in her hand. Merle watched her play cards by herself, one of his arms against the back of the couch.

"Why don't we go and try to find that carnival, huh?" Merle asked. Carol's lips twitched up in a smile and she turned to look at him.

"We don't have to do that, I know you didn't want to yesterday." She leaned back against the couch, stuck in her game of solitaire. She was surprised when she felt the weight of his arm against the couch, even more surprised when he didn't move his arm.

Merle's lips twitched and he shrugged. "Better than goin back ta that bar and havin' ya get hit on again.."

Carol rest her hands on her lap, running her fingers over the edge of the cards. "It was a good day until that creep started bugging me." Carol said. "Though, I do have to admit... Felt kinda nice to have someone try to hook up with me."

Merle looked up and considered telling her he'd hit on her, but decided against it. He grunted and nudged her arm gently. "Come on, I could tell yesterday ya wanted ta go to that carnival. Try to win ya a teddy bear." He stood to his feet and held his hands against the back of the couch.

"A teddy bear, huh? I really like the color yellow." She said as she stood to her feet and walked over to the bed to put her shoes on and grab her bag.

"'Course ya do." Merle mumbled as she walked over to him. He held the door open for her and walked out after her. "Wonder where the fuck this thing is."

* * *

"So what do you want to do first?" Merle asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He could not believe that he was standing in a crowded carnival just to put a smile on a thirty year old woman he met two days ago. His Daddy would whack him upside the head if he'd seen what he was doing right now, he imagine his brother would tease him too.

Carol looked up at Merle, pursing her lips as she looked up at him. She knew he didn't want to be here and she appreciated that he'd take her here anyway. She felt like a kid again, looking at the games and the rides they could play. "Well, ride or game? I was never a fan of the rides when I was a kid, too high and too fast." Carol said. Merle licked his lips and noticed the One Ball tent. He was good at that when he was younger, he hoped he could still do it.

"Gonna win ya that teddy bear right now." He said as he walked over to it. Carol scoffed as she saw where he was heading and she followed him.

"Merle, you can't win One Ball. No one can win One Ball." Carol said, crossing her arms over her chest as they stopped in front of it. Merle pressed a dollar bill onto the counter and took the three softballs from the operator. He glanced back at her and grinned at her.

"Sweetheart, I ain't no one. I'm Merle Dixon." He said, tossing the softball in his hand up and down a few times. She took a step to the side and crossed her arms over her chest, confident she was able to watch Merle fail. He brought his arm back and tossed the ball towards the milk bottles.

Carol's mouth – and the mouth of the people watching and the mouth of the man running the booth – fell open when all three of the bottles fell to the ground. "You did it!" Carol squealed and clapped her hands. Merle smirked at her reaction and he watched as the man set the bottles back up. Carol knew there was no way Merle could do that a second or a third time, but he did each time. She bounced on her heels and when Merle came over to her holding a large yellow teddy bear with pink hearts, she couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck. No one had ever won her anything before.

Merle smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist after a moment, liking the way she felt against his body. He grunted in disapproval as she pulled away from him and pulled the teddy bear against her chest. "Thank you, Merle." She said with a stupid grin on her face. Merle glanced down at his feet and he looked up at her.

"Come on, lets see if we can add more to your collection." He said, walking past her. Carol couldn't stop the grin on her face as she followed him, holding the yellow teddy bear against her stomach.

* * *

"Ya havin' fun?" Merle asked as he watched Carol shove a handful of chili cheese fries into her mouth. Carol covered her mouth as she chewed, nodding. She swallowed as she spoke.

"I am. Havin' fun getting' all these teddy bears." Carol nodded towards the three bears that were sitting next to her. Merle had won her another one at the Gun Slinger, where Carol had to to admit that seeing him use the BB gun so efficiently had actually gotten her slightly aroused. All those years he had been huntin' in the forest had really paid off when he turned his head to look at her and saw the look of obvious arousal on her face. Not even the best poker face could hide that. The third bear he won her at the Balloon Dart, which she was not surprised he would win that one knowing how good he was at Darts.

Merle flashed her a grin as he took a drink from the Styrofoam cup that was in front of him. Carol grinned up at him and licked her fingers clean from the chili left over. "What do you say we go on the Ferris Wheel then we get out of here?" She asked. He licked his lips and nodded

"Thought ya didn't like the rides." Merle said as he took some of the fries from the basket and pushed them in his mouth.

She shrugged. "I also thought you couldn't win One Ball... So maybe I'd like a ride." Carol said.

"Never doubt Merle Dixon, sweetheart. Carnival games are my specialty." Carol licked her lips and took the straw from her drink into her mouth, sucking the soda into her mouth.

"Go to a lot of carnivals as a kid?" She asked, crossing her legs under the picnic table.

"Nah. Never had a lot of money to do shit like that but.. Couple of the neighborhood kids and I would make a makeshift one for the younger kids." Merle shared. A smile formed on Carol's face and she wasn't surprised that before he was a kind man he was a kind kid, even if he had some troubles as he got older. "Little brother loved the one we'd make every summer until the ones that made it got too old to do it." He was talking so much that he stopped realizing what was coming out of is mouth. "Took 'im to a real one after our old man broke 'is arm, just to cheer him up. Last good thing I did for 'im." Merle glanced down at the fries and took another handful of them in his hand, shoving them in his mouth so that he wouldn't talk anymore.

Carol watched Merle as he shoved food in his hand so he'd stop talking. "The last time I uh went to a carnival, I think I was uh... Sixteen? Around then... I um, I was on a date with this guy and I know he only took me to the carnival because your adrenaline is pumping and it makes you think you're in love and you'll do things you wouldn't normally do..." Merle looked up at Carol as he chewed, listening to her story. "He tried the uh.. Test your strength thing. Barely got it up half-way. I felt bad for laughing at him but... I did. I laughed really hard at him." Carol glanced over at the teddy bears sitting next to her. "He certainly didn't win me a damn teddy bear."

Merle felt a surge a pride swell in his chest at the look on her face. He had never made a woman look that damn happy, hell he didn't think he ever made anyone look that damn happy. He hadn't had a lot to be proud about, he was a convict, a murderer. He knew the look on her face wouldn't be there if she knew exactly what he had been in jail for. Hell, if she knew what he was in jail for she would probably take her chances walking back to Atlanta than drive with him. He'd keep that from her as long as he could.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! I'm back with this, I decided to sit down and get back to writing this one. I've been working on Unconnected, the Marol one shot series. **

**As much as I hate doing this, I'm officially putting ****_Of Marauders and Honor _****and ****_Spotlight on the Lake _****on hiatus. I've just lost my Caryl muse, but I really hope that I'll get it back someday.**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

They were on the road again the next night after picking up the car early in the morning. Neither of them seemed to be in too big of a rush to get to Atlanta now, Merle's driving was under the speed limit when two days ago he was driving the exact speed limit, sometimes faster. They talked more than they had the last time they'd been driving too, talking about things that probably didn't matter to anyone else but each other. First they talked about books and Merle was surprised to find out that they both had the same favorite book – _The Outsiders. _They'd gone back and forth quoting the book to each other before they talked about other books. Merle had done a lot of reading when he was wasn't using the jails gym. After they'd talked about books, it was music. Carol admitted that before she married Ed, she was a fan of rock music. When she married Ed, she had every album by the band Metallica, they were her favorite. Ed had made her sell them one night after they got married, but she hoped the get her collection of their albums back once she got a job. Everything she said surprised him, especially when it was things like that in common.

Merle Dixon never thought he'd have anything in common with Carol Peletier.

They'd been driving for almost two hours when they reached Fort Valley, Georgia and Merle wanted to pull over to get something to eat. They hadn't eaten breakfast before they left and he was starving. Carol wouldn't admit it, but she too was very hungry. He pulled off at a truck stop, where they sat in a back booth and both ordered pancakes and bacon. As usual, Merle finished his breakfast before Carol was even half way done with hers and he sat across from her with his coffee, staring at her. Carol let him stare, occasionally glancing up at him to see if he was still glancing up at her. Once the waitress filled up his mug of coffee, he had finally found the courage to say what he'd be thinking.

"So.. I've been thinkin'..."

Carol looked when up when he spoke and swallowed, lifting her napkin to her mouth and wiping her lips off. "Should I ask for a glass of water to put the fire out?" She teased with a playful grin. Merle chuckled at Carol, knowing that days ago she would have just asked what and let him talk instead of responding by teasing him. "I'm kidding, go on." She said, bringing the cup of coffee to her lips.

"When we get to Atlanta... Instead of ya payin' for a hotel every night, ya could stay.. Well with me." Carol looked up at Merle and set the cup of coffee down on the counter.

"Really?" She asked, resting her hands on her lap. Merle nodded and he shrugged, clearing his throat.

"My Pappy left me a great house, s'large and got a lot o' rooms. Pappy's friend has been keeping the house up for me, keeping it clean and shit. Been keeping it with electricity and water too. Be easier for ya to get a job and a place if ya ain't worryin' about havin' money for a hotel room."

Carol smiled at Merle, at his kindness and generosity. He didn't owe her anything, he'd already done so much for her and he wasn't asking anything from her. She realized she was staring instead of talking and she licked her lips. The idea of staying with another man just after running away from one man unnerved her slightly, she had to admit this. But even in their short amount of time together, Carol trusted Merle. "Just until I can get a place of my own." She agreed. Merle had to fight the grin from forming on his face when she agreed to stay with him and he gave her a single nod.

He opened his mouth to tell her that she could stay as long as she needed but a voice in the back of his head that sounded a lot like his father told him to stop being such a fuckin' pussy. "Finish yer breakfast so we can get out of here." Merle grunted. Carol pursed her lip at being bossed around by Merle, but it didn't have the same viciousness that Ed did. It had a hint of playfulness to it.

"Yes, sir." Carol said with a hint of humor in her voice. As she continued to eat her food, Merle left to pay the bill and use the bathroom. Carol took the alone time to smile, looking at her plate. She had been worried about getting to Atlanta, about having to part ways with Merle. Looks like she didn't have to worry about it at all.

* * *

Ed Peletier stopped his truck in his driveway, looking up at his house. It was dark inside and there were papers piled up on the front porch. Jesus, his fucking useless wife couldn't even bring the papers in the house. _Should have never married that dumb bitch. _He thought to himself as he climbed out of the truck and pulled the bag out of the bed of the truck. He'd take care of the doe he'd gotten on the hunting trip after he got a shower and found his wife.

Ed walked up to the house and unlocked the front door, kicking the papers into the house. He walked into the house and shut the door behind him. "Carol, where the fuck are ya?" He called out to his wife, setting the bag on the ground. He flipped on the light switch, glancing around the kitchen. It was spotless, as he expected it to be, other than a very thin sheet of dust on it. "Why the fuck ya ain't clean the damn house? Startin' ta think ya like getting the shit kicked outta ya."

When Carol didn't respond, Ed cursed and started to walk towards their bedroom, turning the lights on with each room he passed. He walked into their bedroom, half expecting to see Carol sleeping and half expecting to see Carol lying dead on the bed. Either would have been nice, if she was sleeping he could wake her up with his favorite appendage then beat her. If she was dead, well he could collect the insurance money.

What he hadn't expected was to find the bedroom empty. It dawned on him then. The fucking cunt had left him.

Oh, Carol was going to regret this.

No one angered Ed Peletier and got away with it.

* * *

"I have to admit, as much I love diner food, I'm looking forward to making my own food." Carol said in the middle of the night. Merle had suggested stopping off at a motel about an hour ago, but Carol told him they could easily make it to Griffin if they drove through the night, stay for the day in Griffin then drive through the night to Atlanta. She'd been studying the map through the hour when he'd suggested stopping off and she told him they should continue driving.

Merle glanced at Carol for a second before returning his eyes to the road. He had wished he hadn't listened to Carol, told her they were going to stop at a motel. He was tired and felt like he was going to fall asleep. He needed some coffee or an energy drink. "Keep a look out for a gas station. Need some coffee."

"You know, I can drive. I am thirty years old, I know how to drive." Merle grunted at her and shrugged.

"Just need some coffee and I'll be fine." Carol pursed her lips at Merle and turned her head to look out the window. She figured out that it was Friday, the day that Ed was supposed to be coming home. She wondered if he was home, if he realized she was gone, how he felt about it.

"Ed was supposed to come home today." She said as she looked at Merle. He grunted again and his fingers tightened on the steering wheel. "Probably realized I'm gone too." Carol twisted her hands together, knowing that Ed was going to be furious she had left. Who was going to make his food and clean his house if she didn't – it sure as hell wouldn't be him.

Merle looked over at her, barely able to make out her body in the darkness. "Scared he's gonna come after ya?"

"Mmmhmm." Carol said after a few moments, not trusting her voice.

Merle licked his dry lips, glancing at Carol. It wasn't his job to keep her safe, he had no obligation to Carol but he felt like he had to keep her safe. If he could protect Carol, keep her safe then maybe it could make up for what he couldn't do ten years ago. Besides, he liked her. She wasn't mean to him, she seemed to like being around him, seemed to like talking to him. Carol seemed to like him, like he seemed to like her. "Don't worry, if he comes around ya, I'll beat 'is head in."

Carol found it oddly endearing that he said he'd beat her husbands head in if he came around, if he hurt her again. Her top lip twitched up in a smile and she turned her head to look out the window again. "There's a gas station up here, turn right." She said. Merle turned right and into the gas stations parking lot, parking the car and glancing at her.

"Want anything?" He asked as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"Wouldn't mind some coffee myself." Carol said, cringing when he opened the car door and the light turned on.

"Be right back then." Merle said as he climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him.

Carol leaned over and popped the door open for him when she saw him returning with two cups of coffee and a bag in his hand. She hadn't realized he was going to buy food too. Guess Merle's hungry. He handed her one of the coffees before setting the bag between them and climbing into the car. "Hungry?" She asked, glancing in the bag.

"Ain't the only one. Could hear yer stomach growlin'." Merle said. Carol rolled her eyes as she sipped from the too hot coffee, sitting the cup in the cup holder closest to her. She reached into the bag and pulled out a bag of Funyuns, grinning at the bag of onion flavored chips. She'd told Merle yesterday that they were her favorite, she was surprised that he remembered. Carol curled her left leg under her right as she opened the bag up, turning to look at Merle as he drank an energy shot. "That shit tastes disgustin'." He grunted as he tossed it into the back seat.

Carol giggled softly at the look on his face and offered the bag over to Merle. He reached over and took a handful of the chips and rest them in his hand as he ate, leaning back against the car seat. "I don't think they're supposed to taste good." Carol said between chips. Merle was right, she was hungry. She reached up again to brush her hair from her face, frowning when she remembered that she'd cut her hair off.

Merle noticed her doing it again, he noticed every time she did it. "Tha hell ya keep doin' that for?" He asked. Carol looked over at him and laughed insecurely.

"I used to have long hair. And I mean, long hair. Ed made me keep it long... He liked to..." Carol brought her hand up and made a tugging motion. She didn't miss the growl that escaped Merle's throat at the mention of her husband, but she ignored it. "I cut it off the day I left, thought it would make it harder for someone to recognize me. Guess I miss my hair." Merle nodded in response and took a drink of his coffee, finishing off the Funyuns in his hand before he reached into the bag to find his Doritos. Merle and Carol ate most of the snack food in silence, deciding to save the rest for later. Carol shoved the bag in the backseat and pulled her seat belt on as Merle stared the car back up, pulling out of the driveway. The energy shot and coffee was exactly what he needed to stay awake while they drove.


End file.
